NationStates Issues **SPOILER ALERT**

[Christian Democrats]

Updated!

[Luna Amore]

Updated!

"Current number of issues: 455*" clears throat

[Christian Democrats]

Updated!

"Current number of issues: 455*" clears throat

Fixed. I'm not sure what the asterisk was for, so I just deleted it...

Also, have some of the issues not been modified to allow for male or female pronouns that correspond to the @@RANDOMNAME@@s?

[Sanctaria]

Also, have some of the issues not been modified to allow for male or female pronouns that correspond to the @@RANDOMNAME@@s?

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

[Christian Democrats]

Also, have some of the issues not been modified to allow for male or female pronouns that correspond to the @@RANDOMNAME@@s?

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

Perhaps, I'm remembering somebody's suggestion...

When @@RANDOMNAME@@ generates a male name, male pronouns appear (he, him, his).
When @@RANDOMNAME@@ generates a female name, female pronouns appear (she, her).

Was this just a recommendation that I saw somewhere, or has it been coded into the issues?

[Luna Amore]

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

Perhaps, I'm remembering somebody's suggestion...

When @@RANDOMNAME@@ generates a male name, male pronouns appear (he, him, his).
When @@RANDOMNAME@@ generates a female name, female pronouns appear (she, her).

Was this just a recommendation that I saw somewhere, or has it been coded into the issues?

It's not quite like that. Instead we throw in @@RANDOMMALENAME@@ or @@RANDOMFEMALENAME@@. Pronouns don't change. It's up to the editor to decide if pronouns are necessary and which one he wants to use for a given option.

[Christian Democrats]

Perhaps, I'm remembering somebody's suggestion...

When @@RANDOMNAME@@ generates a male name, male pronouns appear (he, him, his).
When @@RANDOMNAME@@ generates a female name, female pronouns appear (she, her).

Was this just a recommendation that I saw somewhere, or has it been coded into the issues?

It's not quite like that. Instead we throw in @@RANDOMMALENAME@@ or @@RANDOMFEMALENAME@@. Pronouns don't change. It's up to the editor to decide if pronouns are necessary and which one he wants to use for a given option.

I knew that. I suppose I'm remembering a suggestion that I saw someone make (maybe here, maybe somewhere else) that the Issues Team should add in variable pronouns too. My bad.

[Chan Island]

*Clears throat*

I would like to propose a toast for our new issues librarian, Christian Democrats. May they have a long, fruitful and competent tenure.

[Drachmaland]

The handing over of the original posts of this thread to Christian Democrats has the amusing consequence that posts made on April 30, 2009 are attributed to a nation founded on July 29, 2009.

*Drachmaland joins the toast for Christian Democrat's librarianship*

[Christian Democrats]

The handing over of the original posts of this thread to Christian Democrats has the amusing consequence that posts made on April 30, 2009 are attributed to a nation founded on July 29, 2009.

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

Yay!

The @@ANIMAL@@ Republic Shall Rise Again? [Omigodtheykilledkenny; ed. Gnejs]

The Issue

A coalition of civil rights activists and minority interest groups from all across Northern @@NAME@@ have renewed their calls for the regional government to stop displaying the flag of the now-defunct @@ANIMAL@@ Republic, a short-lived former breakaway nation known for its backward racial policies. The issue has divided the area for years, and with tensions running extra high, you have been asked to help settle the dispute once and for all.

The Debate

1. "It's unconscionable that politicians still defend flying such a repulsive racist symbol on government property!" declares Finlay Worship, a civil rights activist sporting colorful Tasmanian tribal attire - despite recent public revelations that she in fact has no Tasmanian ancestry whatsoever. "That flag has only ever been used to heighten racial divisions in this country; we must ban the display of the @@ANIMAL@@ Republic flag in any official capacity!"

2. "Bah!" scoffs Georgina Rifkin, a local politician and passionate reenactor, while waving a miniature @@ANIMAL@@ Republic flag. "This flag never hurt anyone! If you ask me, it's political correctness that's the real problem. Stores are pulling the flag off their shelves, and TV stations are refusing to run old shows and movies that feature it, for god's sake! The government should be pushing back against all this nonsense and start teaching Kennyite schoolchildren all the good things about that chapter of our history: the cultural pride felt by its citizens, the bravery and patriotism of its leaders! Those are values that never go out of style."

3. "I agree that the flag is harmful and should not be used, in any capacity," predictably declares Jennifer Cohen, president of the advocacy group 'Peaceful Resistance against Injurious Speech and Slanderous Yabber'. "But why stop there? What about ugly racial and ethnic slurs? Words hurt people a lot more than some silly relic, you know. Words like, 'hoopster'...'ringnose'...'Biggie Snarls'...oh sorry, is repeating all these epithets making people uncomfortable? Er, anyway, we can't tolerate the use of such awful language, and we should start fining people for hate speech, like they already do in many progressive countries."

4. "If y'all were to ask me, I'd say we were better off during the @@ANIMAL@@ Republic", says Declan Taffs, a local yokel of indeterminate age. "Back then us normal folks could go about using our own schools and buses without having to mix and mingle with those weird whatchamacallem's. @@LEADER@@, I'll be both frank and earnest, I don't give a hoot what flag y'all run up those poles of yours; just give me back my damned water fountain privileges!"

Thanks, Gnejs! Thanks, Issue Editing Team! Thanks, uh, Rachel Dolezal!

[Drachmaland]

Issue #463: Smart Cars Driving Regulators Up The Wall

The Issue
The development of self-driving cars has led to debate about what they should be programmed to do in the event of an emergency.

The Debate

1. "It's pretty simple, really," opines freshman college student @@RANDOMFEMALENAME@@ on her popular weekly podcast, 'Overthinking It.' "The car should be programmed to minimize injuries. For example, if it's tooling along a freeway and a schoolbus overturns ahead, the car should prioritize saving the greater number of lives, by slamming itself into the nearest wall."
2. "I must say, that could be a hard sell to the public, cars that may decide to murder their drivers," says @@NAMEINITIALS@@-Motors Head of Marketing @@RANDOMNAME@@. "I haven't done a focus group. But that's my feeling. Look, it's perfectly legal today for a human driver to mow down as many schoolchildren as necessary to save his or her own life. Likewise, self-driving cars must prioritize saving the driver's life above all else. Otherwise, why would anyone buy one?"
3. "This whole debate is ridiculous," says @@RANDOMNAME@@, a software engineer who is fixing the fonts on your computer. "To be honest, these schoolbus scenarios sound like something dreamed up by a Philosophy 101 professor, not something that will actually happen in real life. It's not the place of software to weigh the value of human life! Just program them to follow the road rules at all times!"
4. "Oh my God, I HATE those!" says impatient motorist @@RANDOMNAME@@. "They've been testing them near where I work. They drive like my grandmother, and she's in a coma. The other day I was late to work because the so-called Smart Car ahead was waiting for a squirrel to cross the road. A squirrel! I had to swing into oncoming traffic to get around it. And I had to hose the squirrel off my car afterward. Ban self-driving cars!"

Oddly enough, there are no author or editor names mentioned.

For the @@NAMEINITIALS@@-Motors I've put in option 463.2, it was A-Motors in my case (nation's initial is A) and I thought it was a variable — but I could be wrong.
In any case, all of you who know better than me about variables, please go through my post and let me know if there are any mistakes from my part.

[Sanctaria]

Oddly enough, there are no author or editor names mentioned.

Not that odd, there are 31 other issues in the game with no author or editor assigned.

[Luna Amore]

Oddly enough, there are no author or editor names mentioned.

Not that odd, there are 31 other issues in the game with no author or editor assigned.

I'd say HINT HINT. But I already said it somewhere in another thread.

Max wrote/edited it.

[Sanctaria]

Not that odd, there are 31 other issues in the game with no author or editor assigned.

I'd say HINT HINT. But I already said it somewhere in another thread.

Max wrote/edited it.

You're such a buzz kill Luna

[Luna Amore]

I'd say HINT HINT. But I already said it somewhere in another thread.

Max wrote/edited it.

You're such a buzz kill Luna

I prefer thief of joy.

[Drachmaland]

Oddly enough, there are no author or editor names mentioned.

Not that odd, there are 31 other issues in the game with no author or editor assigned.

Not that odd if we were at 2002 or 2003 today.

[Kaboomlandia]

What's #460 supposed to be? Does it even exist yet?

[Luna Amore]

What's #460 supposed to be? Does it even exist yet?

It exists, bit rarer. Only 25 nations have received it this week.

[Drachmaland]

Issue 466: @@NAME@@ Is Never Ever Getting Back Together... Like Ever

The Issue
After a printing error on the official @@DEMONYMADJECTIVE@@ map left off the tiny @@ANIMAL@@ Peninsula, its sole inhabitant, Mike Ronation, declared independence from @@NAME@@. Following his arrest of a mailman who failed to enter the "proper customs", a group of concerned citizens have asked you to address the threat posed by Mr. Ronation. His protest has already spawned several secessionist movements almost overnight.

The Debate

1. "Traitor!" roars @@RANDOMNAME@@, a controversial nationalist politician, before screaming a tirade of obscenities. "This is absolutely ludicrous. We have to send a message to people like this Ronation scumbag! You do not secede from @@NAME@@. It's that simple. For the good of our glorious @@TYPE@@, we must invade and bomb Ronation's home. In fact, once this is all over, we should have our military patrol the streets of this great country to send a message to other terrorists who are thinking of doing the same thing. Sure, some people might call this an invasion of freedom of speech, but for the sake of national unity, we must clampdown on the other ingrates following in his footsteps."
2. "That won't be good for PR," chimes in your spokesperson, @@RANDOMNAME@@, while drafting your latest speech. "Considering how Mr. Ronation is no longer a part of @@NAME@@, he should no longer be entitled to our services. The more humane thing to do would be to ignore him, save for cutting off all essential services like water, electricity, and telecoms. We won't need to wait long before Mr. Ronation begs us to take him back. We can of course tax the Violet out of him when he returns. That will be much more effective - and cheaper - than sending in the troops. Then the groups he inspired will surely fall back in line!"
3. "Making him needlessly suffer seems a tad bit extreme," suggests Mike's concerned grandmother @@RANDOMFEMALENAME@@. "Sure, I'm a little upset that Mike doesn't want to be part of our wonderful country and that he tried to snap that mailman's neck, but you have to look at it from both perspectives. If the government wants to win back Mike and the secessionists he instigated, they could start by allowing greater autonomy to regions that want it. I'm sure that Mikey will gladly return to us if you show a little love and understanding."
4. "The government can suck up to Mike as much as it wants, but it won't change a thing," rebuffs Jacques Strap, leader of a secessionist movement inspired by Mike Ronation's protest. "There is no excuse for the government to be treating Mike as a criminal when he has done nothing wrong. The government needs to leave him alone. In fact, the government should allow anyone to separate from @@NAME@@, so we can finally be free from the oppressive force of big government."

Issue by: The Sister Republics of Wallenburg
Editor: Nation of Quebec

Obviously the name Mike Ronation (cf. micronation) is not random.

[Trotterdam]

Lots of issues getting added suddenly!

For the @@NAMEINITIALS@@-Motors I've put in option 463.2, it was A-Motors in my case (nation's initial is A) and I thought it was a variable — but I could be wrong.

It could also be @@DEMONYMADJECTIVEINITIALS@@. They're the same for the overwhelming majority of nations.

What's #460 supposed to be? Does it even exist yet?

I told you what it is earlier

It's a followup to #454 option 4 (banning agriculture). It's a chain issue, so if you choose that option you'll get it immediately.

Obviously the name Mike Ronation (cf. micronation) is not random.

It's from here. It was originally going to be "Max Barry", and then the more-amusing "Mike Rowe" (as in "Mike Rowe Nation" = "the nation of Mike Rowe"), but was then changed to avoid offending the real-life Mike Rowe.

Also, yay, the option I suggested made it in, even though the original writer didn't like it! I guess I have Nation of Quebec to thank for that?

The kittens didn't, however.

[Christian Democrats]

I've updated the issues. We're looking for #451, #460, and #465.

<snip>

Kenny, you missed a number of macros.

[Gnejs]

Thanks, Gnejs! Thanks, Issue Editing Team! Thanks, uh, Rachel Dolezal!

Thank you, it was a good draft

[Wallenburg]

Obviously the name Mike Ronation (cf. micronation) is not random.

It's from here. It was originally going to be "Max Barry", and then the more-amusing "Mike Rowe" (as in "Mike Rowe Nation" = "the nation of Mike Rowe"), but was then changed to avoid offending the real-life Mike Rowe.

Also, yay, the option I suggested made it in, even though the original writer didn't like it! I guess I have Nation of Quebec to thank for that?

The kittens didn't, however.

Well, as I said, I didn't want to have an all-around good option, and when the issues team gave me my issue, I immediately chose option 2. I'm glad to see that the editor liked your suggestion though.

Also, thank you, Nation of Quebec. You did some outstanding work with my rough draft. And now I have a nice, shiny badge!

[Drachmaland]

Well, as I said, I didn't want to have an all-around good option, and when the issues team gave me my issue, I immediately chose option 2.

Yeah, I noticed the worded effect: "political dissidents are cut off from essential services".